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Enjolras laid on the couch, an arm draped over his face. That was the only way he could keep himself from scratching his eyeballs out. Everything was so fucking itchy.
Courfeyrac was in the kitchen preparing dinner, singing some song, although Enj wasn't able to tell what it was.
Enjolras scratched at his arm. He knew he shouldn't, but he was just so itchy.
There must've been something in the air because he'd been taking his allergy meds, and he hadn't used any new soaps or lotions or eaten anything he wasn't supposed to recently. He was just covered in hives for no reason.
The front door opened and Enj tilted his head back to see. Combeferre was home.
Ferre gave him a look. "What's up, Enj?"
Enj grunted in reply.
"You in pain?" Ferre asked.
He shook his head. "Just really itchy."
Ferre frowned. "Did you take your allergy meds this morning?"
"I haven't missed a dose in almost a week."
"Hmmm," Ferre said as he adjusted his glasses. "Did you eat something different? Or use a new soap or something?"
Enj shook his head. "I've been wracking my brain all day. I can't think of anything. I'm just fucking itchy."
Ferre nodded, thinking. "It's possible you're reacting to the season changing."
"Ugh," Enjolras said, running a hand over his face.
"Sorry. I know it's not fun."
Courfeyrac popped his head into the living room. "Oh, hello my love! Dinner is almost ready."
"Hi, darling." Ferre walked over to him, pulling Courf in by his waist and kissing him. Enjolras scratched at his arms while his best friends made out.
Ferre noticed after a minute. "Cut that out," he said, giving Enj a harsh look. "You're going to irritate your skin more if you do that."
"But I'm itchy, Ferre," Enj said with a frown.
Combeferre gave his husband one last kiss before stepping away to address Enj while Courf went back to the kitchen.
"Did you use your mometasone cream yet?"
"No," Enj said.
"Why don't you go put that on. It'll help calm the itching."
"Don't want to."
"Why not?"
"Because then I'll be all sticky."
In truth, Enjolras had already thought about putting it on, but he really hated the way it made his skin feel so sticky. Sure, it was probably better than feeling itchy all over, but he wasn't ready for the new sensory experience just yet. He was already used to the itchiness anyway.
"How about we eat dinner and then you can put it on and take your meds a little early so you have some more antihistamines in you?"
Enj frowned again.
"Do I need to tell your boyfriend you're in trouble when he gets here in a couple minutes?" Ferre asked.
"No," Enjolras said. He really hated when Ferre did that. And then, of course, Ivy Jo would have to ask what he did and it would become a whole thing that he really didn't want to deal with right now.
Ferre nodded. "Alright. Please use the medicines you have available to you. You'll feel better."
"Fine," Enjolras said. He wasn't too thrilled about taking his meds extra early today because it would mean less time with Grantaire this evening, but maybe Ferre was right. He should probably use the meds he'd been prescribed specifically so he would feel better.
"Thank you," Ferre said. "Now, do you need anything before I go help Courf finish up dinner?"
Enj shook his head and Ferre followed his husband into the kitchen.
If Enj had to bet, though, he'd say that Ferre being in the kitchen would be more of a distraction than a help to Courf, especially with the way they'd been making out in the living room a minute before.
Not that Enj really cared. He was too busy worrying about how itchy his arms felt. He started scratching at his arms again. He scratched and scratched and scratched and it felt good. Better than being itchy.
Until one of his arms bled.
"Fuck," he said under his breath.
"What was that?" Ferre asked, his voice resonating from the kitchen. He was standing in the living room a moment later, though.
"Enj," he said with some concern as he spotted the blood.
Enjolrad gave him a sheepish look.
"Go wash your arm. Gently. With your soap. Don't try anything new," Ferre instructed him.
Enj pushed himself up to sitting.
"Would you like a bandaid?" Ferre asked, holding his hands out to Enj to help him off the couch.
Enjolras took his hands and pulled himself to standing but shook his head. "No, I'm already itchy enough as it is. I don't need to add adhesive to the mix as well."
"That is understandable," Ferre said as they walked to the kitchen sink where Enj could wash his arm.
"Dude," Courf said. "You're like ten times redder now than you were on the drive home."
"Is it because of the blood?" Enj asked, expecting a joke.
"No, I'm serious. Your hives look a lot worse now than they did a little bit ago."
Enj took a closer look as he washed his scratch. Courf was right. He was very red now. Before he'd been closer to pink and kind of splotchy, but now he had proper hives.
"God damn it," Enj said under his breath.
Courf clapped him on the shoulder, probably to show support, and Enj winced. Usually it was okay if someone touched him like that, but today was not one of those days. His skin was too sensitive.
"Sorry," Courf said, offering Enj a towel to dry his arm with. "Why don't you sit at the table, we'll be ready in a minute."
The front door opened. R and Ivy Jo were back from the ABC.
"Whoa, baby," Grantaire said as he got a look at Enjolras, who was taking a seat at the table. "I know you're not blushing like that just because I walked in the door."
"Hives," Combeferre informed him.
"Right," R said, taking the seat next to his boyfriend. "Can I help?"
Enj frowned, resting his head on R's shoulder. "I'm just so itchy."
Grantaire wrapped his arms around Enj and kissed the top of his head. "I'm sorry."
He just let himself be held. It was nice. Better than focusing on the itching. He could still feel the hives, but he was at least soothed by his boyfriend's scent and the way his arms were around him. He closed his eyes for a bit, trying to focus on being happy in his boyfriend’s arms and not the overwhelming urge to scratch his face off.
"What are you guys doing?" Ivy Jo asked. Enj could feel R turn his head to see what Ivy Jo was talking about. Then he felt a laugh from Grantaire.
"Close your eyes, Ivy Jo," R said.
Enj lifted his head in time to see Ivy Jo clap both hands over her eyes. Then he looked back towards the stove where Courf and Ferre were. Oh.
Ferre—blushing very brightly—was helping Courf jump off of the counter, and Enj could imagine what they'd been doing previously.
"I thought you guys were cooking dinner," Enj said with a laugh.
"It's done," Courf said. He gave his husband one last kiss that was maybe a little sloppier than was appropriate for in front of a seven year old child, but seeing as she still had her hands over her eyes, it was probably fine.
Courf and Ferre brought the food over to the table and sat down. While the five of them ate, Enj tried to focus on anything besides how itchy he was. He tried to focus on the story Ivy Jo was telling about how she and Peter were catching squirrels at school. He tried to focus on the way the food tasted or how R's "accidental" brushes against his arm felt.
But mostly, he was just still itchy. After he'd taken about five bites of his food he gave up. He laid his head down on Grantaire's shoulder and closed his eyes, scratching absentmindedly at his leg.
R put his hand over Enj's to stop the scratching. He pouted at R.
"Why don't you go take your meds?" Ferre said to Enjolras.
Enj grumbled, but after some encouragement from R, he got up from the table and went to his room. He took his pills from a shot glass and then searched around for his mometasone cream. It took him longer than he'd like to admit to locate it. Once found, though, he stripped down to his boxers and put the cream basically everywhere.
After that, he found a loose T-shirt and his red pajama pants and put those on. He hated the feeling of wearing clothes over the cream, but there wasn't really another option at the moment. He wasn't ready to say goodbye to his boyfriend just yet.
When he got back out to the common area, he found Grantaire and Ivy Jo on the couch. Ferre and Courf were probably making out in the kitchen again, although he didn't really feel like checking.
Enj crawled onto the couch and laid his head down on Grantaire's lap. R immediately started playing with his hair, and he really liked that.
"Mr. Enjolras, can we watch WALL-E?" Ivy Jo asked.
"Yeah. If it's okay with your dad," Enj replied.
"Fine with me," R said.
Enjolras turned it on and then snuggled up with R. It didn't take him very long to fall asleep.